News of Interest

WORLD ASSOCIATION OF BANDS AND ENSEMBLES - 2009 WORLD CONFERENCE IN OHIO!

Jim Cochran of Shattinger Music writes:

The 14th International WASBE conference will be held at one of the premiere music facilities in the United States––the College Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati. This unique conference brings conductors, composers, scholars and players from all over the world in contact with each other. They will gather for one week, July 5-11, 2009 to hear 14 of the finest ensembles in the world, and connect with each other in a way that is unique to WASBE. One of the most anticipated components of the conference are the Repertoire Sessions. They take place each morning at 8:30 am Monday through Friday to celebrate the diversity of the wind bands repertoire.

The Brazilian Wind Orchestra, conducted by Dario Sotelo, will begin the week. Their session on Monday will showcase music from Latin America and include the following:

• Andre Mehemari - Human Figures of Goya - Brazil
• Renato Goulart - Arabesc of the Angels - Brazil
• João Victo Bota - Catira Batida - Brazil
• Vicente Moncho - El Don Del Aguila - Argentina
• Luis Nani - Escena de Un Sueño Encantado - Argentina
• Victoriano Valencia - Suite Colombiana No.2 - Colombia
• Pedro Sarmiento - Memento - Colombia
• Lucidio Quintero Simaco - Abertura “Sorte” - Venezuela

The Wind Orchestra from England’s Royal Northern College of Music, conducted by Clark Rundell, will be featured on Tuesday. The RNCM wind orchestra will perform the high-flying Wind Borne by Israeli-born Aver Hanani. This work won the Coup d’vent prize in 2008 and has just been recorded by the RNCM wind orchestra which will be released in the fall. Emily Howard’s work Deep Soul Diving will also be performed along with the wild and fast-paced Coogee Funk by Gavin Higgins. A new work by Ken Hesketh, The Gilded Theatre, follows. The composer states that “this work can be seen as a continuation of dramatic forms as presented in a previous piece of mine, namely Diaghilev Dances. However, in The Gilded Theatre, the music is conceived in one continuous span and stretches of music are also subtitled and refer to stock characters or scenarios redolent of the commedia dell’arte or 17th century French theatre.” Other works on this session include Kerala Reverie by Duncan Ward, Fergal Carroll’s Tipperary Rhapsody and new work for younger bands Tranquility by Adam Gorb.

Wednesday’s session will feature wind chamber works performed by the Brazilian Wind Orchestra and the Cincinnati Conservatory Chamber Players. This session will include works by Dutch composer Paul Gilson, American composer Murray Gross and several exciting Brazilian works.

Thursday will feature the Keystone Wind Ensemble and their conductor Jack Stamp. Works will include Dana Wilson’s Odysseus and Sirens, a recent work commissioned by the American Composers Forum and published in the Bandquest series. St. Louis composer Kim Portnoy will make his international debut with Sasha Takes a Train, a jazz influenced work which will be one of the featured works in Carl Fischer’s new Band Select Series. Marco Putz will be represented by one of his easier works Four Sketches. The contemplative Hold This Boy and Listen by Carter Pann and the fiery Las Campanas by Connecticut composer Stephen Gryc round out this session.

The OSAKA Philharmonic Winds from Japan with their conductor Yoshihiro Kimura will be the featured ensemble on Friday. A new edition of Hymn Jubilar by the Romanian composer Enescu will have its U.S. premier. Pansoric Rhapsody by Chang Su Koh, China West Suite by Chen Yi, Sinfonietta by Axel Ruoff, a new work by Oliver Waespi, and a work entitled Fantasma Lunare by Yo Goto, which was inspired by Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata, will conclude an extraordinary week of music from across the globe.

In the words of Dr.Glenn Price, the President of WASBE:

“For many, attending a WASBE conference has been transformational. Nowhere else can one have this close and personal exchange with the leading international artists of our time. Whether your field is school, conservatory, military, community or professional, Cincinnati in July, 2009 is the place to be.”

WASBE’s associations with NBA makes this a very special occasion indeed. If you haven’t already registered for the conference go to WASBE.org and do so today. See you there!